People are never exactly alike and there are a number of qualities that might set them apart from birth?that's what makes things interesting. Someone might have a knack for languages, a feel for the piano, or an easy comprehension and love of quantum physics. Others have an aptitude for art, or compassion, or problem-solving.
Wealth can be viewed as another of these gifts. This is a tricky attribute to possess as a birthright; it is not a talent, but sometimes it is an attribute that people inherit.
The protagonist of David Guterson's "The Other," John William Barry, spends his brief life fleeing the implications of his inheritance. His struggle prompts a question: Does one have a duty to make the best of one's gift, no matter what form it takes?
John William's story is narrated by his friend Neil Countryman. Somewhat predictably, Neil is the son of a carpenter and far less well-to-do than the Barrys. The boys meet at a track race and they connect. Their friendship thrives and is solidified with hiking adventures through the wilderness.
Although they both have a love for the outdoors, it soon becomes clear that John William has more complicated goals than a walk in the woods. He develops an intense disgust with the material world and distances himself farther and farther from it. After finishing a year at Reed College, he abandons conventional education. John William's efforts to set himself apart eventually lead him to the mountains of the Northwest.
The entirety of Guterson's prose is a pleasure to read. His descriptions are thorough and evoke the atmosphere and the singularity of woods that, to most readers, may be unfamiliar. His construction of the relationship between his protagonists is sensitive and well-wrought.
Neil and John William's relationship becomes more complicated as time passes and Guterson does a fine job of crafting a bond that can sustain the pressures of John William's persistent retreat from the world. The excellence of his writing far outweighs any flaws in logic or plot. Guterson tries to examine a challenging question from a point of neutrality and interested concern.
There are tones of Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild" in Guterson's novel. John William is trying to escape society, trying to exist in accordance with an outmoded approach. He chips into the wall of a mountain, creating a cave to shelter him from elements; he gets rid of his car and tries to survive only on the land.
What is fascinating about his retreat into the wilderness is that he can't survive without the world he has abandoned. He is dependent on Neil's visits and his delivery of a variety of supplies, including company. Neil brings food and fuel, liquor and books.
This dependence casts John William's experiment in an almost ridiculous light. But again Guterson expresses John William's tortured need for separation in a manner that causes the reader to empathize with him, regardless of whether he or she embraces his cause. John William feels the travesties of his present on a visceral level.
Instead of immersing himself in the implementation of change, he detaches. Neither Neil nor Guterson passes judgment on this choice. Neil even shares many of his friend's principles, which is one of the reasons he continues to supply him with things that will sustain his wild lifestyle.
Guterson does not come to a conclusion about John William's choice to defect. The reader is left with questions. Is there something selfish in his behavior? He forfeits participation in the woes of the world and, in doing so, also removes himself from its opportunity for improvement.
There is the added caveat of John William's wealth and the ends to which he might have employed it. Neil is the eventual beneficiary of his millions?a worthy recipient, but also one less in need than others.
There is no formula for what makes a good life. Perhaps retreat is a sensible move. Perhaps sacrificing the world when one has access to it all is a great achievement. Perhaps there is no answer.
Regardless of these various possibilities, Guterson's novel is a terrific piece of work. His insights and characters resonate with subtlety and magnanimity.